


Pride

by Crumblin



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: AU, BlackPanther!Seonghwa, Bottom Kim Hongjoong, Cateez, Cheetah!Wooyoung, Clans, Hybrids, Jaguar!Yunho, Kim Hongjoong-centric, Leopard!Yeosang, Lion!Mingi, Lynx! Hongjoong, M/M, No Beta We Cry Like Men, Platonic Relationships, Pride, Prostitution, Puma!Jongho, Rape/Non-con Elements, Tiger!San, Top Park Seonghwa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:28:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crumblin/pseuds/Crumblin
Summary: Hongjoong is a lynx. A female lynx. He was mocked, despised, and exiled from his own clan for who he was. An embarrassment to the lynx clan. But he rose, slowly he took back pieces taken away from him, he took in those who were left alone, abandoned, into his care and from there he built a home, a pride to call his, Ateez.However, chaos strikes, and the pride sent on the move catching the eyes of the notorious black panthers. What will they do when the leader has marked Hongjoong as his prey?A Seongjoong Cateez!Au
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 59
Kudos: 185





	1. Introduction

Hello! This will be my first Seongjoong Fic! Let me briefly introduce you to this Cateez Au!

Three Strongest Clans!  
Rank 1: Black Panthers  
Rank 2: Tigers and Lions (Alliance)  
Rank 3: Leopards  
Ateez Pride:  
Hongjoong : Female Lynx, leader  
Yunho : Jaguar  
Mingi : Lion  
San : Tiger  
Yeosang : Leopard  
Wooyoung : Cheetah  
Jongho : Puma  
~  
Seonghwa : Black Panther

In this Au clans can build cities governed by their leader, but the rest of the planet remains untouched with natural landscapes such as forests and clearings. Yes, technology does exist. The big cat clans will fight tooth and nail to climb up the hierarchy ladder for rights to the largest and most resourceful territories (and to fuel their ego). 

That's all for now! Have fun reading!  
~Crumblinnn


	2. Chapter 1 : Pride

!! WARNING !!  
If you are uncomfortable with prostitution and rape please feel free to skip to the ------  
And if you don't mind...  
Be nice to my attempted smut... there was an effort...  
!! WARNING !!  
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Hongjoong falls back onto the dirty soiled sheets, cum smearing against his body as the man above him lets out a groan. It hurts. A sharp mewl escapes his lips as the man roughly yanks his hair, forcing his cum coated dick in his mouth. 'It hurts...' Hongjoong forced his tongue to move, the man above him groans at the stimulation. Tears spill from his eyes as the man thrusts into his mouth, the tip ramming against the back of his throat making him gag. The client lets out one last groan cumming into his mouth, Hongjoong could feel the filthy liquid sliding down his throat. The man grins in satisfaction as he gets off him.

"Not bad, Slut. That pretty mouth of yours really made for cock, huh?" The client sneers as he tosses a couple of flimsy bills onto the worn-out nightstand.

'It hurts...'

Hongjoong made no effort to reply, tears continuing to flow down his cheeks as he quietly sobs. His body aching and sticky, covered in dried cum and bruises. His mouth coated with all too familiar bitterness, how he wished he could slice his tongue off and never have to taste it again. But he needed his tongue, right? Every good kitty knows how to use their tongues right?

Hongjoong lets out a yelp as the cold water hits him, drenching him and the soiled bed beneath.

"Quit crying you pathetic whore. Your next client is coming. Wash up," another prostitute scowls at him, clean sheets tucked under her delicate arm.

Hongjoong lets out a small whimper as he gets up grabbing the robe lying on the floor, his legs shaking as he stumbles out of the brothel room towards the bathrooms. Some of the nicer hybrids he knew spared him a pitiful glance but never reaching out a hand to help him. They didn't have to. He enters into the small bathroom, closing the rotten wooden door behind him. Hongjoong stands under the filthy shower and turns the tap on, he doesn't flinch as the cold water hits his body.

Slut... Whore... those hurtful words are bitter on his tongue. Hongjoong didn't remember much of his childhood, but he remembered those bitter words the most. The lynx clan he doesn't remember much of them, but he remembered the disgusted looks sent his way as the elders announced his gender. Female Lynx. He remembers his parents disappointed and horrified faces, he remembers their gleeful smiles as they sold him off to the brothels. Abandoned. Sold. Used. All because of who he was. What he is. A female lynx, a slut.

Hongjoong steps out of the shower, glancing at his reflection in the cracked and dirty mirror. His sandy brown hair wet from the water, mullet unkempt growing past his shoulders. Dark circles beneath his lynx brown eyes that have lost their shine years ago. He reaches a shaky hand to gently pet at his cat ears, gently petting at the ever soft fur and tuft purring at the slightest amount of comfort he could give to himself. Something he knew he wouldn't receive from anyone else.

A knock interrupts his purring as one of the hybrids, an ocelot, peeks into the bathroom, pity in his eyes.

"Hongjoong-Hyung, your client is here," he says quietly.

Hongjoong gives the other cat a small smile. "Thank you, Jihoon."

"I'm sorry, Hongjoong-Hyung," The other boy mutters.

"You don't have to be," Hongjoong smiles bitterly at the other as he walks past him.

Hongjoong walks into his room to see a man already sitting at the bed, a puma. The puma grins at him, sharp canines in view, and long brown tail flicking in dark excitement. Hongjoong could feel a shiver run up his spine as the man walks towards him, a predator on the prowl. Rough hands grab him by the shoulders, harshly shoving him towards the bed.

"Shit," he purrs, "they weren't lying when they said you were the prettiest slut in the brothel."

Hongjoong mewls at the filthy compliment, ears pulled back as he bares his neck at the larger cat. He could feel the client's hands rip his robe off his body, rough hands roaming all over his skin. Hongjoong shuts his eyes. I don't want this. He could feel the man grab his ass, spreading his cheeks and thrusting in making him scream in pain. It hurts! It hurts! Hongjoong could feel the tears running down his face once more.

"F-Fuck. Look at me when I'm fucking your hole, Whore!" The man growls, harshly grabbing his face.

Hongjoong keeps his eyes shut, wanting it all to be over. A harsh slap makes him whimper, his left cheek ablaze. 'Get off of me...'

"Fucking, Slut! Look at me, you whore," The man roars. His hands curling around Hongjoongs throat making him gasp. 'Get off of me.'

Fear clouds Hongjoongs eyes as his arms reach up to his neck, trying to pry the hands-off. The man grins at his reaction, his puma pale green eyes darkening with lust. Hongjoong turns to the nightstand, his vision spotted, but manages to catch the shimmer of a metal barrel. A gun. He flails his arms, fingers barely managing to grab the cold metal. He chokes as he aims the gun between the puma's eyes, the other male's pupils narrowing into slits.

"Get off of me!"

He fires.

\-----------

The man's head falls limp onto his shoulders, blood, and brain splattering against the concrete wall behind him. Hongjoong places back the revolver in its holster, staring at the corpse of the rouge cougar. He wipes the sweat of his brow, heaving out a breathy sigh as he runs a hand through his dark blue hair. His ears twitch as he hears the steel door creak open and a head of dirty blond hair peeks into the room, a pair of round tan ears poking through the strands.

"Hongjoong-Hyung, need any help?" the male asks in a deep gruff voice.

"No need, Mingi, I got it all covered. The intruder wasn't a spy, just a rouge who went to the wrong place at the wrong time," Hongjoong smiles at the lion, ruffling his soft locks. "He didn't even put up a fight. Nothing I cant handle. Although I might need help removing the body"

"Got it, Hyung! Wooyoung just woke up, he wants to see you," Mingi chides before proceeding to heave the body over his broad shoulders with little to no effort, blood trickling down his leather jacket.

"Careful, Mingi, toss the body in the incinerator, we don't need any more suspicions on our tails," Hongjoong calls after the other, receiving a hum in reply as he disappears down the long, dark hallway with his long sandy tail swingy behind him.

Hongjoong smiles fondly, despite the gruesome deed hed just done (he knows hed do worst if it means protecting his beloved pride). Mingi has grown so much since the first time he joined his pride. The shy lion has grown to be a boisterous ball of sunshine with tremendous strength. He may have been an outcast, unwanted, a weakling in his old pride but Hongjoong accepted him with all his flaws and is glad he found a home here with him in their little pride.

Hongjoong pushes the door to their main living room open, greeted with the sight of two of his pride members asleep on the long leather couch. He stalks quietly towards the pair, the two cats not even flinching making him chuckle. They were a quite funny position, with the tiger turned almost completely upside-down, long legs and striped tail dangling off the couch and the jaguar lying face down on the other's stomach, snoring softly with his tail spotted tail curled up on the armrest. Quietly, Hongjoong raises his hand and pokes the tiger's foot, effectively waking the sleeping cat up and making him yelp and jump. Because of the little commotion, the previously sleeping jaguar rolled off, landing onto the soft fur carpet with a groan.

"Hongjoong-Hyung! Why did you do that," the tiger mewls, sliding his legs off the couch so he could sit properly. Running his hand through his messy black hair, striped ear poking out of the mess.

"Didn't I teach you to stay alert, San?" Hongjoong replies with mock seriousness causing the tiger to pout, striped tail swaying lightly. "Don't let me catch you sleeping in the open again."

"Aye, aye, Sir," San mockingly salutes, "I'm gonna check up on Yeosang and Wooyoung, see you guys later." He yawns standing from his seat and ascending the staircase to the living quarters.

"Hongjoong Hyung?" The jaguar groans from his spot on the floor, heaving himself up on the couch with a yawn.

Hongjoong ruffles the jaguar's soft peachy hair with a chuckle, scratching his spotted ears making the taller boy purr. "Had a good sleep, puppy?"

"Hyung, I'm not a puppy," Yunho rolls his eyes, but leans into the touch anyway, "Also, I found some unused resources in a nearby city that we could use or maybe a possible base location. We can move our base there if you want to, Hyung."

"Good job, Yunho, well have a talk with the others over dinner," Hongjoong smiles satisfied. "How about the other clans? Any signs of aggression?"

"No, besides our dispute with the Cheetah Clan last winter, no clan has shown any sign of attacking, Hyung," Yunho replies his cheerful tone turning serious and stoic, "However, the Lion Clan has been moving close in the premises of our territory."

"Is Jongho on patrol today? What does he have on him?" Hongjoong asks.

"I asked Jongho to bring a rifle with him just in case, but he insisted on only carrying the dagger with him," Yunho sighs remembering their little argument earlier.

"That cub, we can only hope he doesn't run into any trouble he can't face or any lions," Hongjoong grumbles, "It seems we must relocate, well have the meeting as soon as Jongho returns."

"Right, Hongjoong-Hyung, wheres Mingi?"

"He should be in the incinerator right now what's wrong?" Hongjoong asks with one eyebrow raised and a sly smirk on his lips.

"N-Nothing, Hyung. Just don't tell him I may have accidentally broke his favorite Princess Peach figurine," Yunho laughs nervously averting his eyes from the smaller male. "Anyway, I'd best go back to monitoring the cameras, see you later, Hyung." Yunho waves at him before disappearing behind the door to the right, his spotted tail dragging behind him.

Hongjoong's smile drops as soon as the jaguar disappears behind the door. The lion clan is the second leading clan, his small pride won't stand a chance against them. Not to mention they're the same clan that wiped out the entirety of the jaguars. He still finds it a miracle how Yunho managed to survive let alone find San who was abandoned by the tiger clan for being the runt of the litter. They became each other's pillar of support through thick and thin. The two managed to survive as cubs through the harshest of conditions until they met Hongjoong and the three of them stood together as a pride and a family before the others eventually found their ways home as well.

The next pair to join the family was Yeosang and Wooyoung. Wooyoungs parents were exiled by the cheetah clan leading him to be raised in danger with no protection of a clan. Unfortunately, their abode was ransacked by bandits, and his parents were robbed of their lives trying to protect him. In all irony, Wooyoung himself resulted becoming a bandit, robbing and killing to survive, despite being haunted and resenting himself for being the monsters who killed his parents, but he had to, he had to survive. It was by chance Wooyoung was breaking into the lion clan territory stumbling across a leopard slave which just happened to be Yeosang. Wooyoung took the risky move that night, taking Yeosang with him, the two fled into the darkness. No one tried to find the missing slave, after all, he was replaceable.

Then the last cub came, a young puma cub came barreling down into their small territory. Jongho was only 15 when he decided he had enough of his controlling pride, so he ran. He ran far leaving his family, pride, and clan behind, taking with him nothing but himself. He stumbled upon the pride's small garden, eagerly he helped himself to the many fruits and vegetables they grew. San was the one who spotted the bony cub and pity and sorrow was the only emotion Hongjoong could ever feel for the small cub who was crying and sobbing for his life.

With open arms, he welcomed every one of his pride members. He accepted them all, all their strengths and weaknesses all their perfections and flaws. No matter who they were, he loves them all. They are his pride, his family, together they are Ateez. No matter what the world thought about them, no matter how many enemies they make, as long as they have each other, they will continue to fight for their pride.

Hongjoong climbs up the staircase nearly bumping into Yeosang who was chatting away with San. The blond leopard smiles at him, sharp canines poking beneath his lips, and the drone they bought him for his last birthday tucked carefully under his arm. "Hi, Hyung."

"I thought you two were going to keep an eye on Wooyoungie," He raises an eyebrow at both of them.

"Woo wanted to be left alone so Yeosang and I are gonna go to Yunho," San replies, a slightly mischievous glint in his vivid tiger green eyes.

"We're thinking of using the drone for surveillance purposes and Yunho's requesting for a test drive," Yeosang adds, Hongjoong could see the mirrored mischievous look in Yeosangs leopard blue eyes.

"As long as you two don't do something stupid," Hongjoong starts.

"We won't, Hyung-"

"Sannie, I don't trust you,"Hongjoong cuts, eliciting a hey from the tiger, "Yeosang, I trust you to have better judgment over Sannie and Yunho, but if something  
goes wrong you know where to find me."

"Sure thing, Hyung. Let's go, San," Yeosang nods pulling a grumbling San with him down the staircase.

Hongjoong continues up the staircase and knocks onto the first door.

"Go away! I'm fine!" A shaky voice hollers from within, soft sniffling following after making Hongjoongs heart shatter at the sound.

"Wooyoungie, cub it's me," Hongjoong calls softly. There was a moment of silence before the pitter-patter of feet could be heard before a teary-eyed Wooyoung  
opens the door. His eyes red and glassy, jet black hair a big mess, his small spotted ears merely peeking out from the black tangles.

"Oh, Wooyoungie come'ere," Hongjoong coos at the cheetah, opening his arms.

Wooyoung immediately drops into Hongjoong's awaiting arms, burying his head into the curve of his neck sobbing loudly. The two stay like that for some time, Hongjoong rubbing soothing circles on the latter's back. Once the younger calms down, both of them walk into Wooyoung and Yeosang's shared room, taking a seat on the bottom bunk. Wooyoung settles himself, head on Hongjoong's lap. The elder runs his hand through the tangled black locks, occasionally petting the soft fur of the cheetah's ears. Both of them relish in the silence and Wooyoung's soft purring.

"Do you want to tell me what made my baby cheetah so upset?" Hongjoong softly asks the younger.

"Nightmare..." Wooyoung mutters, hiding his face is Hongjoong's abdomen.

Hongjoong hums in understanding, he knows what it's like to be haunted by the past. Even now it feels as if one day he'll wake up back in his filthy brothel room, his precious family gone. Back in his neverending nightmare. Hongjoong train of thought stops as he feels Wooyoung shift in his lap.

"Hyung, am I a coward for being scared of who I am?" The cheetah mumbles, glassy vibrant cheetah orange eyes staring up at him.

"Wooyoungie, I never faulted you to be scared of bandits, but you are different than those bandits who killed your parents. You are yourself, Wooyoung. My  
strong baby cheetah," Hongjoong coos at the latter, making him blush a bright red at the baby talk.

"Thank you, Hongjoong hyung."

"Anytime, Wooyoungie."

\--------

Hongjoong awaits in the camera room anxiously, watching as Yunho continues to flick through their various cameras. Their youngest hasn't returned for over an hour. The rain was pouring heavily outside, lightning strikes and thunder roared in the darkness outside. With each flash, Hongjoong could only fear the worst. All of a sudden, Yunho's ears perked as he spots a figure running towards their camouflaged gates.

"I see someone," he announces, moving the mouse to zoom into the running figure. "It's too blurry. Hyung, I can't tell if that's Jongho or not."

"Have you installed Yeosangs drone into the system?" Hongjoong asks, receiving a nod from the jaguar.

"Yeosang, can your drone fly in this weather?" Hongjoong turns to the leopard.

Yeosang visibly pales at the thought of sending his precious drone into the rain, but by leaps and bounds, Jonghos more important than a flying robot. "I don't know, but we can try," Yeosang replies, voice filled with steely determination.

He tests it out, sending the small robot into the heavy storm. A screen flickers to life on one of the monitors, revealing a crystal clear video of the outside. Yunho gives them an affirmative nod, eliciting a sigh of relief from the rest of Ateez huddled in the small room ( an exaggeratedly large one coming from Yeosang specifically).

"Yeosang, fly your drone over there," Yunho orders.

Yeosang complies, flying the drone over. The camera catches a figure, albeit blurry, but undeniable. It's Jongho. The tension in the room immediately dissipates as they all focus on the form of the young puma running back to base. Yunho quickly presses the button opening the shrub-covered steel gates that disguises their base, shutting them right after Jongho runs by thus the base returns to its unassuming hillside disguise.

Minutes pass and the living room door slams open. Hongjoong and the rest of Ateez immediately rush over only to freeze at the sight of their youngest. Jongho stands shaking by their living room entrance, his brown ears flattened down and pale green eyes clouded with fear. His figure is drenched from head to toe from the heavy rain, but what shocked them was the deep red that stained his clothes and arms. Hongjoong immediately rushes over scoops the shaking puma into his arms, the said male immediately starts to sob loudly and whimper into his neck, mumbling incoherent apologies.

"Jongho! Jongho baby, what's wrong?" Hongjoong asks, whilst petting his brown ears trying to calm him down.

"M' s-sorry, Hyung! I-I killed him, Hyung," Jongho mewls, tears streaming down his cheeks onto Hongjoongs soft sweater.

"Slowly. Slowly, Jongho. Who did you kill?"

"L-Lion, Hyung, I-I killed a lion!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! Yunho is Atiny's puppy uwu (even if he's a jaguar XD)  
> What do you think so far? I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Thanks for reading~~~  
> Also, feel free to check out my freshly made twitter account where I'll be posting updates!  
> @Crumblinnn  
> Thanks again! See you on the next update!


	3. Chapter 2 : On the Run!

Hongjoong gently sits the shaking puma onto the leather couch, apologies still spilling out of his mouth. Gently, rubbing Jongho’s back as the rest of Ateez huddle around the couch.“Okay Jongie, calm down. No one’s blaming you for anything. We need to know what happened,” Hongjoong gently starts, the puma trying his best to stop crying.

“I-I was patrolling around the edges when a group of lions approached,” Jongho sniffles,” I tried to hide, Hyung, but they caught on to my scent. One of them grabbed me by my hair a-and they started kicking me, H-Hyung.” Growls resonate through members, a particularly loud one coming from the lion of the pride knowing very well he had to face those kicks and punches as a cub.

“I-It hurt and I was scared, Hyung. I was alone, they were four. I-I was going to die, Hyung. I was going to d-die.”

"Then I snapped H-Hyung. I lashed out, slashed a-at anything I could reach. There was so much blood. Then a thud. He j-just fell Hyung. I-I ran," Jongho finished his story with a whimper, leaning into Hongjoong's embrace.

"My poor little Jonggie, but this isn't the first time you killed someone, what happened, Cub?"

"Yunho Hyung told me that the lions were closing in. He told me not to hurt any of them or the lions would hurt us. I-I didn't want anything to happen to us. I didn't want to put the pride in danger, but I messed up Hyung. What are they going to do to us?" Jongho mutters.

A tense silence falls over them, they know its a death wish to stay at the base, but how are they going to sneak out in such a tiny gap of time. San clears his throat, "It's alright. We'll just start packing up and evacuate straight of the bat then we'll follow Yunho's coordinates to the new base. Remember what we promised? As long as we're together we'll keep fighting! It's gonna be alright." 

Mingi nods, "Yeah, c'mon let's get-"

The lion's sentence is cut short with a deafening explosion as the ceiling falls in on them, missing Hongjoong and Jongho by the fur. Loud footsteps could be heard stomping their way into the headquarters, ear-piercing gunshots firing at them from the cover of smoke. The Ateez members quickly scatter, taking cover behind walls and steel doors. Guns out and ready to fire.

"YUNHO! YEOSANG! GRAB THE EQUIPMENT WE'LL FEND THEM OFF" Hongjoong shouts his orders, aiming a shot into the cloud of dust and smoke, a scream ripping out from afar. One lion down, an army to go. He quickly ducks behind the wall as a bullet whizzes past, barely missing his head.

"SAN! WOOYOUNG! GRAB THE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES! MINGI! JONGHO! ON ME! HOLD OUT FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN!"

From the corner of his eyes, he could see the two boys running off, disappearing into the smoke. Hongjoong unlatches the compartment next to him, pulling out three fully stocked assault riffles. He tosses the weapons to Mingi and Jongho, both of them immediately starting to open fire into the crowd. Hongjoong joins in on them, one lion, two lions, three... their bodies falling limp on top of each other, more and more of their comrades stampeding over the corpses and into the base. Guns slinging out bullets in a neverending barrage. 

They're just not running out. Every time one lion falls two come barraging into the base, guns ablaze. Hongjoong grits his teeth, at this point, they won't have enough ammo to last. 

"HONGJOONG HYUNG!" 

Hongjoong turns around to see Yunho and Yeosang already at their emergency exits, many pieces of equipment, weapons, and some monitors secured to their backs, ready to go. They just need two more to get out of the warzone. Hongjoong hears a curse spill out of Mingi's lips as he drops the empty assault rifle, opting for the gun attached to his belt. Hongjoong stops him, "Don't waste your bullets, join Yunho and Yeosang outside, we'll take it from here."

Mingi could only nod as he dashes out the base, bullets whizzing past his figure as he turns the corner. Hongjoong looks back into the ruins trying to find the familiar faces of San and Wooyoung. Two tufts of black hair catch his attention as he watches the two cats sneak past the crowd, large backpacks strapped tightly as they crouch. All of a sudden, a scream breaks out from San's lips, red blooming through the fabric of his white shirt. Hongjoong feels his blood boil as he aims for the lion that shot him, firing a bullet straight to her skull watching as her head bursts red. "Jongho! Help Wooyoung and San! I'll cover!" 

Jongho nods as he helps wrap an arm around San's midriff, the tiger letting out pained, high-pitched meows in distress. Hongjoong makes sure the others are already safely out the exit before grabbing three frag grenades, pulling out their pins, and throwing them into the crowd. He stumbles as he stands, quickly racing out of the base as the loud explosions ring out through the night along with pained screams and screeches. Hongjoong shoots Yeosang a glance, the leopard nodding as he presses the detonator on the palm of his hands. And with that, Ateez watches as their home bursts into flames taking down their enemies with it.  
\---------------------

Mingi groans as the harsh rays of the sun hit his skin, the burning sensation stinging every patch of skin left exposed of what's left of his tattered shirt. San lies motionlessly on the lion's back, the tiger had passed put from blood lost combined with fatigue as Yeosang puts it, but alive nonetheless. The said leopard is now talking with Yunho and Wooyoung about the coordinates as the jaguar focuses on the small GPS he managed to bring from their old base. Hongjoong could hear the occasional "Are we there yet?" from the cheetah and the collective groans of "Shut up, Wooyoung" following right after making him chuckle. Hongjoong ditched his thick sweater, the said clothing tied around his waist for the cold nights, opting for the thin black tank top beneath it. The pride has been walking since nightfall with no rest, although they were all equally exhausted, they didn't show it, talking and joking around with each other to lighten up the mood. The only silent member (besides San) throughout their trek was Jongho. The puma kept his eyes on the open road, knuckles white as he holds on the hefty backpack San brought along.

"Jongho, why aren't you saying anything, Cub?"

"I can't help but think its all my fault, Hyung," Jongho mumbles, fingers tightening on the straps, "If only I just ran away instead of hiding in that stupid shrub, we wouldn't be out here."

"Jongie, I'll never blame you for attacking or killing those bastards. You weren't the one who started the assault, you just defended yourself."

"But I could've just run away, Hyung, and no one-" Jongho's sentence is cut short as the lynx grabs his cheeks, pinching them hard making the latter yowl in pain.

"How many times do I have to tell you it isn't your fault, Cub? Those bastards would've found our base anyways, we were planning to move even without the attack. If your feeling guilty about destroying the base, remember that home is the people whom you love. You are home, Jongie." Hongjoong smiles at the puma, cooing as tears spill from Jongho's pale green eyes. "Aigo, if only I could eat your worries away," Hongjoong playfully hisses as he mouths the puma's red hair, making the latter giggle.

"Thanks, Hyung," Jongho finally smiles, the bright smile mirrored onto Hongjoong.

"No problem, Cub, now go help Mingi. He looks like he's about to pass out." And as on cue, the lion manages to stumble over air making the two of them laugh at his clumsiness. 

\-------------------

After hours and hours of walking through nowhere, the sun has begun to set, the skies turning a blazing orange. San has insisted getting off to walk on his own, claiming his feet are perfectly fine the only problem is that he can't move his arm. As concerning as it is, they can't stop in the middle of anywhere, with darkness slowly starting to bleed into the sky bit by bit. They’d need to find a place to rest quickly.

"Are we there yet?" 

Yeosang lets out a groan, "No, Wooyoung, can you please shut-“

“We’re here,” Yunho chides in with a tired smile, chuckling as Wooyoung sticks his tongue out at the leopard who growls in return.

Hongjoong looks up at the dilapidated five-story building ahead of them. As unassuming as the old building is which makes it an ideal base, it looks quite… hazardous. He could see the multitude of broken tinted windows scattered on different floors, some of them outright pane less. There were large gaping holes at the sides and the sides that barely had any paint left on them, leaving brick and cement exposed. He could see steel wires poking out of certain places along with debris of various shapes and sizes surrounding the place. Overall, it looked like something that would have been a left to rot from world war two.

“Um, Yunho are you sure this is the place?” San asks, clear confusion in his voice.

“As broken and run down this place looks it’s the only structure with surprisingly still working electricity and water,” he shrugs as he places the GPS back in his pocket, “Plus, it’s getting late we need to take cover and take a look at that wound of yours. The next working facility is miles away we won’t make it before nightfall.”

“It can’t be that bad, probably a little spring cleaning and she’ll look great and … livable?” Hongjoong tries to convince them, “After all, we managed to transform our old base from scratch as well. This’ll be a piece of cake.”

“Well that’s one stone-hard piece of-,“ Wooyoung grumbles before being smacked by Yeosang, who stares off into the distance innocently.

Before the two could start fighting, Mingi steps up. “I’m gonna check to see if it’s safe.” Puffing his chest he strides in, dirty blond hair disappearing into the darkness. The rest of the pride waits quietly outside as the sun slowly disappears beneath the horizon. Not even a full five minutes and a scream echoes from within the building.

Jongho lets out a sigh, “I’m gonna check on hyung,” disappearing into the darkness. Seconds later a prominent yelp could be heard from the lion along with a “Hyung, it's just a mannequin,” and a “Right, I knew that.” The rest of Ateez burst into laughter as they watch an irritated Jongho drag out a slightly shaken up Mingi. 

“Hyung, you’re a scaredy-cat.”

“Yah! Choi Jongho I’m older than you!”

After a few seconds of calming down the pouting lion, the pride finally steps into their new home. San starts coughing from the onslaught of dust, mumbling incoherently under his breath. The interior looks far from ideal, dust covering every inch of the room and a dismembered mannequin lying against a wall. Doors are ripped off their hinges and a large gaping hole in the west wall surrounded by shattered glass, the first floor isn’t the best place to set up their base.

Climbing up the slightly, creaky staircase, they arrive on the second floor. Yeosang walks over to one of the slightly worn-out doors, pulling it open with a loud creak. He feels the walls for a light switch, flicking the button as the lone light bulb flickers to life. The room is rather spacious with most of the tinted windows intact and two tattered, dusty leather couches. A single, dusty rug covers the tiled floors at the center of the room, an old air conditioner against the wall, and a broken clock hanging beneath it.

"Does that thing even work?" Wooyoung points at the old air conditioner.

"Look I found the remote, Hyung," Jongho chides, taking the dusty, plastic remote from the couch and presses the red faded out button.

The machine miraculously stutters to life, blowing out cool air at the boys. Everyone lets out a relieved sigh, allowing themselves to revel in the cool air after withstanding hours and hours of heat. That is until San covers his nose with a groan. "We should all take a damn shower. This room reeks of sweat now." His complaints immediately followed by everyone’s collective groans as the stench reaches their sensitive noses. 

Hongjoong takes the initiative to search for the bathroom. He wanders to the wooden door by the staircase and gently pushes the door open. He flips the switch by the door, yellowish light filling the small bathroom. The condition looks just as dilapidated as the rest of the building, tiles are broken, cobwebs hanging from every corner, and covering the taps. A shower head hangs from one of the tiled walls, a dusty toilet bowl sitting right by it. The lynx shuffles over to the sink, giving the tap an experimental twist. And just as Yunho has promised them, water gushes out of the tap, a bit dirty at first from its state of disuse, but clear water begins to flow eventually making Hongjoong rejoice. 

“Cubs! The water’s working!”

“I’m going first!” He hears their resident Tiger claim, his water-loving nature showing out. Hongjoong watches as San runs from the now proclaimed main room into the bathroom, toiletries, and clothes in (uninjured) hand. Seconds later, he could hear water running along with a loud purr. 

Walking back into the main room, Hongjoong is greeted with the sight of the rest of his pride seated in a circle, a pile of clean cotton piled up on a steel surgical bowl and a pair of stainless steel tweezers in Yeosang’s hand, Jongho seated beside him with a bottle of antiseptic. Oh, so that’s why he ran so quickly.

“So, are we going to stand by the door and grab him as soon as he exits?” Mingi breaks the silence, scratching the back of his neck.

“I mean its San, so I guess we have to,” Yunho sighs, “Jongho, Mingi you guys can stand by the door and grab him.”

Hongjoong watches in amusement, and slight pity, as the cubs circle around the bathroom, Jongho and Mingi standing by the door. Seconds later the sound of gushing water halts as a wet San steps out of the bathroom, a towel on his head dressed in a comfy sleeveless black shirt and soft camo shorts. The poor tiger only had a split second to process his surroundings before two hands latched onto him, dragging him to the room. San lets out a cry, “W-Wait! No! I d-don’t, I’m j-just fine!” His face contorting to one of fear and anxiety.

“Sannie, you’re not fine. There is a literal bullet in your body even if you managed to not get that wound infected, we can’t have you walking around with a bullet, Cub,” Hongjoong lightly scolds the tiger, he knows just how much a bullet extraction can hurt, but it must be done. That seems to silent the tiger as his head slumps, soft mewls spilling out of his lips.

Once inside the main room, the boys help San lie comfortably on the cleaned rug. San places his head in Hongjoong’s lap, the lynx gently patting his hair and scratching his ears for comfort. His free hand gripping onto Wooyoung’s, the cheetah giving him a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be over in a minute, Sannie,” Yeosang says with a small smile as he takes the pair of tweezers. 

Mingi hands the tiger a bundle of cloth, which Hongjoong helps place into San’s mouth. San visibly flinches as Jongho gently rubs the antiseptic around the wound, hissing silently. Hongjoong mumbles encouraging words to the boy, caressing his face, and patting his ears to pull his attention away from the upcoming pain. Yeosang mutters silent apologies as he gently inserts the metal tweezers into the wound. San lets out a muffled yowl, eyes turning glassy with the telltale signs of pained tears as he bites into the bundle of cloth. Hongjoong could see the rest flinch at his reaction, averting their gazes. Hongjoong wipes off the tears that start falling from San’s eyes as Yeosang struggles to pull out the wedged bullet. Seconds later, a small clink could be heard against the steel bowl as Yeosang starts to bandage up his wound. Hongjoong presses a kiss against the tiger’s temple whispering praises to the silently sobbing cat. 

\------------------

Hongjoong steps out of the bathroom, cold water dripping from his wet blue locks. A white towel rests on his neck to prevent his loose white shirt from being wet. He wipes wet hands on his plaid shorts as he walks back into the room. The lynx is greeted with the sight of his pride members already tucked into their respective sleeping bags, a yellow one with a small minion crudely stitched in on the bottom left set out for him. Hongjoong notices the purple sleeping bag practically on top of his, San absentmindedly staring off into the chipped ceiling while playing with his fingers. 

Hongjoong smiles at the younger feline, laying down next to him. San jumps slightly looking over to Hongjoong, his vivid green eyes meeting the elder’s light brown. “Hey, Hyung. You don’t mind cuddling for tonight right?” the tiger shyly smiles at him.

“Never, Sannie. Let’s get to bed yeah, we have a long day tomorrow, I want you to get some rest.”

Hongjoong let’s the larger male roll into his embrace, strong arms wrapping around his waist as the tiger buries his head in the crook of Hongjoong’s neck. The lynx gently scratches as the younger’s soft ears, smiling softly as he feels the younger’s soft purrs and his breathing starting to slow down, falling asleep in a matter of seconds. Hongjoong lets out his a yawn, resting his head on his arm as he closes his eyes letting sleep take over his senses with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewwo!  
> There's so much stuff going on this week smh TT  
> Sorry for making yall wait long...  
> Anyway, how's the chapter? Feel free to leave a comment, makes my day really ><
> 
> Also can Grammarly stop correcting Mingi's name -_-
> 
> feel free to visit my twitter @crumblinnn for updates! or a chat!


	4. Chapter 3 : Captured

Hongjoong groans as he sits up, he soft glow of sunlight blaring into the room from the cracked tinted windows. He stretches his limbs and gets out of the sleeping bag, noticing San already huddled with Yunho who slept near them. He smiles at the two as they snored off, walking out of the room quietly. The lynx heads downstairs meeting up with Yeosang and Wooyoung crouching around a makeshift stove made from scrap metal they collected from around the building, empty cans of tomato soup scattered around them. Yeosang notices him walking towards them and smiles at him, “Morning, Hyung.”

“Morning, you two. Where’s Mingi and Jongho?”

“They went off to scout the nearby clearing, probably gonna be back soon,” Wooyoung says calmly, continuing to stir the red soup.

“I’ll be waiting outside, okay? Make sure to clean up after you both are done and wake Yunho and San up too,” He reminds them, receiving nods and subtle groans from the cheetah. Satisfied, Hongjoong walks out of the main entrance. 

Hongjoong lets himself revel in the warmth of the sun, taking in the fresh air. He looks over to the large clearing to the north of the ghost town, its grass still green and flowers growing all around, a patch of heaven past the decrepit wasteland they chose to settle in. In the distance he could see two figures pushing each other around, the sound of laughter drawing closer. 

Hongjoong smiles at the two boys approaching him, the tall lion dressed in a white deep v-neck shirt and the puma trailing along in a dark red shirt. Both of their ears perks as they spotted the lynx, walking a tad bit faster back to base to greet him. “Morning, Hyung!”

“Morning, Mingi. Morning to you too, Jongho. How’s the northern territory?”

“Looking good, Hyung. No signs of the major clans as far as we ventured off. There is a nearby forest we stumbled across, I’m sure you’d like to check it out later,” Jongho passes on, lightly patting at pieces of dirt on his cargo shorts. 

“That’s great you two, I’ll take Wooyoung with me later. Go inside, breakfast’s most-likely ready by now. Take a break, you both did good,” Hongjoong smiles at the two, patting their heads making both of them purr at the gesture. 

The lynx watches as the two other cats walk into the building, tails swaying lightly as they chatted animatedly. 

Making their new base would be a challenge. They had no food to last the coming winter, barely enough ammunition, half the amount of tech and weapons they had prior, and heck they don't know how long electricity and water will continue to run through the old building. The very least they could do right now is scout the territory for resources that hopefully would last through the winter, starting from the forest Mingi and Jongjo saw. 

He lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. It's not going to be easy scouting a forest, but they'll need to try to find whatever resources they need this abandoned wasteland can't provide. Maybe they'll even find a better settlement through the trees with more of their vital needs. Or maybe they won't even return from the scout... Hongjoong let's out frustrated a growl, pushing the negative thoughts away. No matter what lies within the northern forests, he'll need to try.

Hongjoong walks into the building, six pairs of eyes trained on to him the moment he entered. The closest cat, Yunho, hands him his bowl of slightly cold tomato soup from his spot on their circle on the ground. Hongjoong thanks him, taking a seat between the jaguar and the tiger.

"So Hongjoong-Hyung, what's the agenda today?" Yeosang asks, putting down his empty bowl. 

"Nothing much, you guys rest up. I'll head out to check out the forest," Hongjoong replies, wiping the soup off the sides of his mouth. 

"Alone?" San pipes up, vivid green eyes wide, "Hyung, that's dangerous!"

"I agree, Hyung. At least take one of us with you," Yunho adds, his spotted tail poking at Hongjoong's thighs.

"I'll go with you, Hyung!" Wooyoung offers, his ears perking, "I was raised in the forest, I know how to navigate the best."

"Are you sure, Wooyoung? If you're tired you don't have to-"

"It's fine, Hyung, I'm not tired. I want to go with you," the cheetah reassures him with a smile.

Hongjoong sighs, smiling softly nevertheless. "Alright. We better start preparing then."  
\------

Hongjoong stands by the bent lamppost, the blazing sun making him wince ever so slightly. The lynx opted to tie his hair back, sporting a black bandana to compliment his look. He dressed in a white tank top and cargo pants, a spare gun in its holster hung on the belt holding his pants tightly around his hip. His ears perk at the sight of another figure exiting the building dressed similarly. Wooyoung sported a black tank top along with cargo pants and tied his hair back as well. He twirls a knife around his fingers with ease as he walks towards the lynx. 

"Sorry for the wait, Hyung. Had a bit of a problem finding these," the cheetah explains, placing the knife back along with the others on his weapon belt. "Just figured bringing my old throwing knives would be a better choice of stealth."

"That's alright, Wooyoung. Are we all set? Did you bring the earing?" 

"Yep," He replies pointing at the glowing red 'earing' adorning his spotted ears. A device that transmits everything they're saying to radio back at base for the other members, as well as a tracking device just in case they got lost. 

"Let's go then, we have around five hours to scout. If we don't return by then, I told Yunho to set out a search as long as the earing is still activated and our voices are still heard. If not, I told them to mark us dead," Hongjoong states firmly. Wooyoung nods at his statement and they start their trek for the woods. 

\-------

The main room is quiet, only the occasional chatter from the radio sputters every once in a while as Yunho monitors the two of them in silence. Yeosang, Mingi, and Jongho left a few minutes ago to check out the other building for clues of the previous residents. San groans as he flips over to his stomach.

"Hey, Yunho," San yawns from his spot next to Yunho, tail poking at the jaguar's side, "Ever wondered why this building has power?"

The said Jaguar slaps the tiger's tail away, "I don't know? Maybe some clan who had too much money or just forgot this place existed."

"Doesn't that mean there's a clan nearby?" The tiger asks, ears perked in sudden alarm, "Yunho, what lies past that forest?"

"I don't know, San," the Jaguar growls, "The scanner back at the base didn't reach any farther than this point. We don't have a working one in this place. All we can do is wait for Wooyoung and Hongjoong-Hyung to get back." 

Both of them flinch as the door opens with a slam, the pride lion steps in with his arms filled with various pieces of metal and 'techy junk' a large smile plastered on his face. The puma and leopard follow after him, their arms also filled with bits of scrap metal and the occasional wire poking out.

"This is why I told you to bring backpacks," Yunho sighs as Mingi drops the pile in a corner.  
"Eh, it's faster. Plus we haven't unpacked everything anyway," the lion shrugs.

San starks poking at the pile, picking out broken motherboards and snapped wire. "What can you even do with these? They look like useless junk." He mutters tossing the broken screen back into the pile.

"I brought a solder along with us, some of the parts should be reusable at the very least," Yeosang shrugs placing down his pile on top to Mingi's and Jongho following in suit, "We'll just have to sort out which of the parts are salvageable and which ones aren't."

The leopard fishes out a piece of cloth from his pocket, "Here, I think this might serve as a clue of who's abandoned territory we might be in." He tosses the flimsy torn cloth to Yunho.

The jaguar stares at the cloth for a little while, it was pure black with silky texture indicating the clan is rich. There were massive holes on the strip and no visible patterns to indicate any correlation to the clans. He flips the cloth over noticing something stitched into the fabric, the tips of something resembling patterns of claw marks in gold. 

Yunho could feel his blood freeze and his heart drop, his ears pinned back into his peach locks and tail stiff. The black panthers. They are in their territory. "Shit," he whispers under his breath. He hopes Hongjoong and Wooyoung make it out that forest alive.

\------

Hongjoong lets out a yowl as a branch comes smacking into his face. His ears draw back and lips curl into a snarl as he glares at the snickering cheetah. "Sorry, Hyung, didn't know that'd hit your face."

"You're not even that much taller than me," he huffs, "you couldn't even reach the top of the cabinet."

"Says the person who has to use a stool," Wooyoung bites back with a smirk, making the lynx growl as he prepares to lunge.

"Why you-"

All of a sudden they hear a branch snap, both of them instantly dropping down on the forest floor, blending in with the fallen leaves. 

Three men come walking from the direction they were heading in. They are dressed in black tank tops and camo patterned pants geared up with assault rifles, black bandanas with gold claw marks around their heads, and what makes his ears flatten and short tail stiffen in fear, rounded jet black ears, and long obsidian tail. Black Panthers. 

Hongjoong hears Wooyoung let out a subtle curse as the men trudge closer in their direction. The lynx tries to find a possible way to sneak out, unfortunately, they were cornered. They backed away into what looks like a shallow cave with only a few feet of distance between them and the coming threat.

"Are you sure that noise came from here?" He hears one of the panthers ask along with the sound of a twig snapping.

"That squeak came from over here," another one of them replies, their footsteps coming closer.

There wouldn't be much time before they'd be spotted and gunned down. The two of them need to dispatch the threat. Hongjoong sneaks a glance at the cheetah who returns it with a nod, hand already reaching for one of his throwing knives. Hongjoong follows in suit, grabbing his gun and attaching a silencer aiming for the panther on the very left. 

He watches as Wooyoung heaves out a steady breath, going into a crouching position as he draws his arm backward. The cheetah snaps his arms forwards, watching as the blade whizzed through the air stabbing the panther right between his eyes, falling dead instantly. A scream of alert ripping out of the other cats.

The two of them roll over as the remaining two open fire, Hongjoong fires at the one on the left. The bullet shooting out and striking the panther in his stomach. The panther doesn't even get a chance to double over before a blade comes flying, striking his temple making him fall over. 

Hongjoong smirks as he aims for the last cat standing, its almost too easy. Almost. A pair of arms to grab him by his shoulders, pulling him into a chokehold. The lynx lets out a gasp, clawing at the arms around his neck watching in vain as another panther emerges from the cover of the trees, slamming the butt of his rifle into Wooyoung's head knocking him out cold. He growls, slamming his elbow into the face of his attacker. His attacker merely flinches, tightening his hold. The lynx could feel his vision darken as spots begin to dance in his sight and slowly he slips unconscious in the hands of the enemy.

\-----

Hongjoong blinks awake, a subtle groan escaping his lips. Where is he? The place is dark, he could barely make out the light behind the slight crack of steel doors. Is he alone? "W-Wooyoungie?" He manages to croak out, the name merely echoing around the room with no response. 

Hongjoong tries to move his limbs, only to feel the familiar strain of rusty steel cuffs and the rattling of chains. He tries to kick his feet out from their folded kneeling position, only to get a similar reaction. He groans feeling the dull pain on his knees, falling to the side to shift onto his bottom. He lets out a slight mewl as he accidentally lands on his tail, shifting a bit to finally get into a more comfortable position. 

Hongjoong flinches as the steel door opens, light shining into his eyes. A tall man steps into the room, his hair an ashen brown dressed in a crisp white shirt buttoned down to reveal his tanned, toned chest. A fur cape drapes over his shoulders, a black choker with signature gold claw marks adorning his elegant neck, jet black ears poking from his head, and obsidian tail swaying slightly. His shaken lynx brown eyes meet with glowing panther amber, a smirk forming on the latter's face.

"So," the panther purrs, his voice deep and velvety, "The kitten has stumbled into the wrong territory."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway sorry for taking so long for this!  
> Schools been tough T T  
> And Seonghwa has made an appearance (finally) woo!  
> What do you think so far? Leave a Comment to let me know!


	5. Chapter 4: Panther

The room is quiet except for the rustle of paper and the soft hum of the air conditioner. The room is dark, the only light being the natural rays that filter through the large tinted windows. Paintings of various sizes decorate the black walls illuminated by the incandescent lamps with the occasional marble sculpture resting against the wall. The marble floors are covered with a deep maroon carpet, led lights etched into the ceiling above. A figure sits on the velvet armchair behind the large obsidian desk by the window, shuffling through piles and piles of paper set out on the desk. 

A knock interrupts the peaceful silence as he places the stack of papers down, running a hand through his ashy brown hair, panther amber eyes trained onto the oak double doors as they slowly creak open. A woman clad in a black leather jacket and tights step in, bowing low. "Sir, the head of the lion clan is here," she states, rounded jet black ears pinned back in respect.

"Tell her to wait, I'll be joining her soon. You may leave, Amber," he dismisses watching as Amber bows once more and leaves the room.

The man lets out a sigh as he stands from his seat, putting on the fur cape draped over the chair. He tugs at his silk white shirt, glancing at the reflection of a large gold framed mirror. The same pair of striking amber eyes staring back at him with a small smirk on his lips, tight black leather pants, and black military boots complimenting his looks. Satisfied, he looks away from the mirror, walking out through the large oak double doors. 

\-----  
"Park Seonghwa," a woman with long golden-brown hair greets him with a familiar air of arrogance and slight fury dancing in her lion gold eyes. Long manicured fingernails digging into the leather armrest, as she leans onto her side. The golden crown on her head shining beneath the bright lights of the conference room, the symbol of power within the Lion Clan. 

"Jeon Soyeon, what business do you have with the black panther clan," Seonghwa asks, voice calm and void. Nodding at the panther coming in to place a tray with two porcelain cups of earl grey tea along with some biscuits for the two heads.

"You see, I require your assistance, Seonghwa. I'm sure you've heard of that little pride of freaks, Ateez," she spits out the name like poison on her tongue, a snarl etched in her fierce features.

"I have heard of them, yes. However, they pose no threat of which to be concerned of," He replies calmly, picking up the porcelain teacup set before them and taking a sip. “I see no reason as to why we should be discussing such small matters.”

"Those bastards trespassed my territory and killed off 30 of my lions, " the lioness growls, fist slamming onto the glass coffee table making the silverware clink, "and a little bird told me they were headed to your territory and I want them out of my sight."

"This petty deal will only benefit you here, Soyeon," Seonghwa starts unphased, "What would the Black Panther Clan benefit out of this? After all, the Lion Clan is the one asking for help, what makes it that it is worth our time to help your clan?" He finishes placing down the cup and crossing his arms.

"Miyeon," she beckons at the woman standing by her armchair. The other lioness hands over her a paper folder with a curt bow, stepping back into her place. "So I heard you were still looking for a mate, yes?" Soyeon asks, a sly smirk on her lips as she sees the male's ears perk. She pushes the folder towards Seonghwa, the panther picking it up.

Seonghwa opens the folder and all he could think of is 'pretty'. The male, a lynx he notes from the black tufts extending from his ears, had the softest looking blue hair he'd ever seen. His gorgeous lynx brown eyes shining in the photo, perfect pointed nose, and the brightest smile on his plush pink lips. He's perfect. Carnal desire stirs deep within him to make this pretty feline his, Seonghwa wants him.

"Kim Hongjoong. A pretty one, isn't he? A runaway slut who managed to build his little play-pretend empire," Soyeon grins, crossing her leg over the other and placing her chin on her hand. "So, do we have a deal?" The lioness smiles, extending her manicured hand.

Seonghwa glances from the folder, raising his hand and seals the deal. The lioness grins, golden eyes staring into his amber ones, "Remember, I don't fucking care what you do to their pitiful pride. Just keep em out of my territory. Pleasures doing business with you, Seonghwa." With that Soyeon stands from her seat, walking out of the large conference room the other lioness trailing behind her as they disappear behind the doors.

Seonghwa sits in the silence, glancing back at the opened folder before him. "Kim Hongjoong," he mutters, liking how the name rolls off his tongue so easily. Such a pretty cat and a good leader by the looks of it, he's the definition of a perfect mate. "Minhyuk," he calls for the panther standing by the door, "Get Eden to research Kim Hongjoong, tell him to personally send me the files to my office in an hour." The panther nods, taking the folder and disappearing behind double doors.   
\--------------

"Come in."

A man in a white dress shirt and black slacks opens the doors, the same folder in his hands. "Good evening, Seonghwa. I must say you have such a unique taste in men, not necessarily bad nonetheless." The panther smirks, walking over to Seonghwa's desk and placing the folder down.

"Thank you, Eden-Hyung," he curtly thanks the other, opening the paper folder revealing the stack of about 5 pieces of paper clipped above Hongjoong's picture. 

"There's a lot of info on his early life stored in the flimsy database of one of the brothels in the area, however, I couldn't find much on his recent years minus the remains of nearly destroyed data from a base south of the territory I suspected to be Ateez's. I also included information on the other Ateez members, I'll leave you to your reading now," the later smiles, walking out of the office with his tail swaying lazily. 

Seonghwa hears the door click closed, leaning back into his chair with a glass of wine in his hand as he reads the files. Line by line he could feel his eyebrow furrow and fingers tighten on the glass, Hongjoong was disowned by his clan and sold to be an underaged prostitute for 7 years. He lets out a low growl at the thought of the hands touching the lynx's body and leaving marks on what is his. He imagines the terror the poor cat had to endure, being used over and over again by nameless clients with nothing he could do about it as the brothel forces him to obey. Seonghwa hears a crack as the luke-warm liquid begins to drip slowly down his hand, grunting he throws the broken glass into the bin and wipes his hands with a napkin before leaning back down to continue reading.

It was that one night when the lynx was reported to be missing, the body of a naked puma lying face down on the bed of his old room with a bullet hole between his eyes and from there on no traces of Kim Hongjoong were ever found. The name Kim Hongjoong disappeared from the world until new reports and cases start to file in on a rogue pride called themselves 'Ateez' trespassing and robbing smaller clans, a mixed pride whose members are rejects of different clans with their leader being the one and only Kim Hongjoong who disappeared without a trace three years ago. Nevertheless, Seonghwa is quite pleasantly surprised. The sheer fact that the little pride was able to make a name for itself in such a short time proved just how good of a leader the lynx is. A sense of pride surges through him that his chosen mate is a formidable leader, fit to lead a clan alongside himself. 

Seonghwa places down the folder onto his desk, standing up from his chair. He shrugs on his cape walking towards the doors. He'll wait as to what tomorrow will bring to him.  
\-----------

Seonghwa looks up from the paperwork as the doors to his office slam open, a panther with an impressive purple bruise forming on his face bows curtly whilst panting slightly. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, Sir, but two cats have been trespassing the southern forest. Hoseok and Heechul were killed and the cats were knocked unconscious. I ordered the rest to put them in the torture chambers."

Seonghwa looks back down at the papers, "Why didn't you kill them, Minhyuk? Hasn't it been the rule against trespassers from the beginning?" He looks up, amber eyes piercing the other's, "Are you here to tell me you failed in following our law? That two of our members are going to be sacrificed in vain?"

The latter shakes his head, averting his eyes from his piercing gaze, "Sorry, Sir, but one of the cats had a striking resemblance as given by Lion Clan head Jeon Soyeon in the meeting yesterday. A male lynx with blue hair. I thought you might want to take a look at the cat and his pridemate."

Seonghwa's ears perk at the familiar description, leaning his head onto the palm of his hand, "A lynx with blue hair? What else did you find out about the cats?"

"The other one, a cheetah, had a bright red earing. Nearly glowing I'd say," Minhyuk pauses taking the accessory from his pocket and placing it on Seonghwa's desk. "I figured it might be of interest."

Seonghwa brings the small earing to his eyes, examining it carefully. "You are dismissed, Minhyuk. Get Eden to come up." The other pather bows, closing the doors behind him as he leaves.   
\-------  
“My, I have seen a device just like this one. It’s a recorder by the looks of it,” he says chillingly relaxed, “Of course I know whoever’s on the other side is eavesdropping on this very conversation. However, I can also track your location.” Eden smirks, placing the device into his pocket. “Follow me,” he says gesturing at the younger to follow him out the door.

Seonghwa strides behind the elder, walking through the long lit hallways. Passing through the many extravagant portraits of the panther clan leaders, he could feel their phantom gaze staring him down judging his worth. He pays no mind, shaking off their gazes as he walks down the long hallway to the elevator standing at the end. Eden waits for him from within, tail swaying lazily to the beat of the music streaming from the speakers he installed last year. Stepping inside the glass elevator, the doors slide close behind him as they start their descend. 

He glances out, watching the many cats walk around, converse and do their respective work in the HQ. He   
could see some of the younger cubs run around their parents or playing around with each other. Seonghwa smiles to himself, thinking of what it'd be like to have cubs of his own. To raise a family with the pretty lynx perhaps.

A loud 'ding' interrupts his train of thought as the elevator doors slide open. Eden steps out, Seonghwa following the elder into his lab. The room's walls are covered with monitors of various sizes, some connecting to cameras all over the HQ and the panther territory, and others of different pride lands of the other clans. 

The elder takes a seat next to one of the many computers in the lab, placing the device in a cylinder connected to many wires and covered in buttons Seonghwa doesn’t bother to know the functions of. Seonghwa watches as the cylinder glows from the LED lights shining beneath the device. The computer blinks to life, numbers, and codes appearing and stacking upon each other as the elder panther types on the slightly worn-out keyboard. 

A few minutes of typing later and the elder smiles, swiveling his chair to face Seonghwa. “Done, I’ve tracked their location. That little pride has quite the smart technician with the number of defenses I have to break through, surely you could get him for me, Yunho’d make quite the apprentice,” he chuckles. “Anyway, I have sent out the information to the scouts, they will be in captive by the time your little lynx wakes up. That is what you wanted, right Seonghwa?” 

Seonghwa nods, “Thank you, Eden-Hyung.” 

“No problem, Seonghwa. You can leave my room, now. Remember to bring me that jaguar and the leopard after you’re done with your little drama,” The elder hollers as Seonghwa disappears back up the elevator, not bothering to wait for him to finish his sentence. The panther lets out a sigh, “Kids these days.”

Seonghwa awaits by the entrance of the HQ taking a sip out of the glass in his hand, the bittersweet taste of wine washing over his tongue. He watches as the group of scouts emerged from the foliage, limp bodies draped over their shoulders. The leader of the scouts takes a curt bow, “Where should we put them, Sir?”

“Place them in the chambers, one cat one room, “ Seonghwa orders, the rest of the panthers immediately abiding and disappearing into the building, the bodies of the Ateez members hanging off limp on their shoulders beaten and bruised. 

A figure rounds the corner, passing the scouts and approaching him. “Sir, the lynx has woken up,” Minhyuk reports. Seonghwa dismisses him, watching as the latter proceeds to walk away before pushing placing down  
the half-empty glass on a nearby table and fixing the cape around his shoulders. He dismisses the latter, following down the path to the chambers with his cape swaying with every stride. He begins his descent down the hidden staircase to the cells, the light slowly fading away as he goes deeper and deeper into the darkness. Reaching the bottom of the flight, he spots the guards standing by one of the steel doors. The panther opens the door as he approaches, the yellowish light of the hallway filtering into the darkness of the room. 

He takes a step into the darkness, eyes landing onto the figure illuminated by the soft glow. Seonghwa could feel his breath hitch as he takes in the features of the pretty cat chained to the wall. He could make out his gorgeous chocolaty brown eyes glimmering in the dim light, long, pretty eyelashes batting against the smooth skin of his cheeks with a pointed nose and a pout on his plush, pink lips. Messy, yet soft-looking blue locks frame his face, pointed lynx ears pulled back in fear. 

Seonghwa could feel the smirk form on his lips as those pretty lynx brown eyes stared up at him from beneath his long lashes, lips falling slightly open as the latter takes in his appearance. “So,” He purrs, “The kitten has stumbled into the wrong territory.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> considering to make Friday my update sched from now on maybe.  
> Anyway, stalling the plot for suspense owo  
> What do you think? Leave a comment!


	6. Chapter 5: Dead?

Hongjoong lets a growl ripple out of his throat, the sound coming out small and shaken from the neglect. He bares his teeth at the larger male, pupils dilating into slits, “What do you want?” He flinches as the male drops down to a crouch, callused hands gently grabbing his chin.

“I should be asking you that, Kitten. After all, you trespassed into my territory,” the panther states calmly, his deep voice making him shiver. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me for sparing your life and that cheetah of yours.”

“Well, thank you for ‘sparing’ me,” Hongjoong scoffs, staring into the latter’s amber eyes with defiance, “But I would appreciate it if you get your hands off me and let me the fuck go.” The panther merely chuckles at his words.

“Aren’t you a feisty? You aren’t in the position to be making demands, Kim Hongjoong,” The male coos, making rage burn within the lynx.

“Well, I don’t fucking see why not, Park Seonghwa. I’m all chained up and I want to go home,” Hongjoong mock whines, “Look, just let me and my pridemate go, we’ll never step in your stupid territory. Heck, we’ll fucking move far away, so can you please let us go?” The lynx rolls his eyes, getting tired of their pointless conversation.

“Well, what if I don’t want you to go away, Kitten? What if I wanted you to stay?” Seonghwa purrs, the hand grasping his chin sliding up to caress his cheek, making Hongjoong shudder. “What if I wanted you to stay here with me, rule with me, be my mate?”

Hongjoong cackles loudly, “What makes you think I’d rule this fucking piece of shit clan with you? You’re delusional, Seonghwa. You’re a fucking prick. You captured me, chained me up and fucking ask me to mate with you?” Hongjoong glares at the latter, “In your fucking dreams, Seonghwa. I’d never fall for a bastard like you.” The lynx grins as he watches the panther’s amber eyes turn stone cold with a deep growl rippling out the other’s throat, “Oh what’s wrong? Did the kitten get a little angry? Well suck it up, Park, and let me fucking go.”

“Are you naïve or just an idiot,” Seonghwa growls, “You trespassed into my territory, what makes you think I’m going to let you go that easily? Or maybe I should torture your little pride? Tell them their leader chose to let them suffer in the hands of the Panther Clan?” The panther smirks as the smaller male lunges at him, the chains straining the hold him back.

“Leave my fucking pride out of this, Park. You wanted me, didn’t you? So leave them the fuck out of this,” Hongjoong growls at the latter, tugging at the chains around his wrist. 

“Look how much more obedient you are, Hongjoong. Maybe I should kill them, put a bullet through their head. Maybe then you’ll obey,” Seonghwa lets out a dark chuckle, letting go of Hongjoong’s face as he stands up.

“You nice joke, Park. As if you’d fucking find them. I already told them if I didn’t return then I’m as good as gone. They’re already so far away,” He snarls at the panther.

“You are so naïve,” Seonghwa laughs, “You think that little device of yours would go unnoticed? We’re not animals, Kitten. And your pridemates? They’re just a few cells away, unconscious, beaten, vulnerable.”

Hongjoong could feel his eyes widen as he tries to launch himself, “You fucking bastard. What did you do!”

“Listen here, Hongjoong, if only you were a little more behaved and respected my pride, maybe I would’ve respected yours. Maybe I would’ve let them go, after all as you said I only needed you here. But I don’t think you’d learn without a little punishment, Kitten.” Seonghwa growls, “I had a respect for your little pride, Hongjoong. It’s a shame, really.” The panther turns his back onto the thrashing lynx, fur cape elegantly swishing as he walks away.

“Park Seonghwa! You fucking get back here you fucking bastard! Park Seonghwa!” Hongjoong howls after the panther, the latter no even sparing him a glance as he walks out the cell and slams the door close with a loud bang. Hongjoong falls back onto his knees, a string of curses spilling out of his lips as he buries his head in his hands. What had he done?

Hongjoong doesn’t know much about the big clans besides their leaders and rank, but he knows Park Seonghwa isn’t the type of cat to keep empty threats. What had he done... What had he fucking done... Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho, they’ve all done nothing wrong yet will atone for his fucking mistakes. His fucking mouth can’t stay fucking shut. He just had to, he just fucking had to. The lynx lets out a sob, this is all his fucking fault.  
\-----

After what seemed like ages, the steel door to his cell opens and the familiar light bleeds into the darkness. Hongjoong could feel his heart hammering in his chest and his mouth drying up, glassy eyes trained onto the figure stepping into the room. Park Seonghwa had a mockingly pitiful smile on his lips, amber eyes staring back at him. Soon after, six other figures are shoved into his cell, Hongjoong squinted hard, the darkness masking their visage. Seonghwa forces each of them into the light, Hongjoong getting a clear view of the six cats. They had their heads covered with a worn brown sack, bodies beaten and bruised, clothes torn. They wore the exact pieces of clothing worn by his pridemembers when he left the base, the exact ones he last saw them wearing. Hongjoong could feel his blood run cold, it is them. 

“Y-Yunho! Yeosang!” Hongjoong howls for the two cats whose muffled screams could be heard from beneath the worn-out, dirty sacks covering their heads, arms, and legs bound unable to break free. “San! Mingi! W-Wooyoung! Jongho!” Corresponding muffled whimpers and cries spilling out from the rest of the figures. ‘Oh god, it really is them! No… NO!’

“NO! Let them go! P-Park Seonghwa! P-Please!” Hongjoong cries out, legs trying to propel him forward to his pridemembers only for the chains to tug him back harshly onto his knees, dull pain exploding through his leg. “S-Seonghwa! Please they’ve done nothing wrong!” He howls, tears streaming down his face.

“I’m sorry Hongjoong, but maybe if you behaved they would’ve been spared, Kitten,” Seonghwa smiled at him as he cocks the gun in his hand pointing it at Yeosang’s covered head. Hongjoong shuts his eyes, he could hear the leopard scream and thrash against the chains binding his limbs before a loud bang resonates in the room a heavy thud following instantly. Hongjoong could feel his tears flowing down his cheeks as sobs wracked his body, he slowly opens his eyes to be faced with Yeosang’s dead body lying on the ground, the light shining just enough to see blood red seeping into the brown fabric of the sack. 

“Y-Yeosang, no…No! P-Please! N-No more!” Hongjoong howls over his sobs, begging. Begging for it to stop. 

“Sorry, Kitten. But this is your punishment, next time watch your mouth before you speak,” the panther merely states, his eyes cold and emotionless as he points the gun to the next figure. Yunho.

“Y-Yunnie! Yunho! Yun-“

Hongjoong watches in horror as the gun fires, red blooming into the sack as the body falls forwards. Hongjoong sobs letting out pained mewls as he watches the jaguar spasm before falling still. “N-No more! N-No more!” He cries, the pleas falling deaf to the panther's ears as he once again points to another cat.

San cries out as the cat feels the gun press against the back of his head. Hongjoong looks away not wanting to see another one, another one of his pridemates die because of him. The lynx could only sob loudly as the familiar bang resonates once again followed by another thud. Mingi. Along with another. Wooyoung. And another deafening bang, until silence falls over the room. Jongho.

Hongjoong curls up into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest as he sobs. The metallic smell of blood clouding his senses. The metallic smell of his family’s blood. They’re gone. They’re all gone. The family he raised and grew together with. Gone. Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho. He failed to protect them. He failed and now he’s alone. He’s all alone.

He could feel the familiar darkness nip at his mind, the feeling of helplessness engulfing him. All he wanted was to love and to be loved and now they are stolen away from him. His family, those he cared for, those he loved, they’re gone. He lost them. He lost his home. Hongjoong feels a warmth engulf him, his face pressed against soft silk with its musky scent overwhelming the metallic stench surrounding him. His small hands reach out to grasp the fabric, burying himself into soft material and covering himself with the scent, blocking out the horrors from his mind. Not once did he ever think he was embracing his family’s killer. Not once did he think he was finding comfort in the arms of the arms that stole it away from him.

How could something so wrong feel so right?  
\-----  
Seonghwa smiles as he fells the smaller cat’s breathing even out, soft snores and tired purrs spilling out of his plush lips. He gently gathers the lynx into his arms and stands up slowly, careful not to disturb the smaller cat’s slumber, and proceeds to walk out of the cell. He summons the guard standing by the staircase, “Rid of the bodies of the Tiger Clan assassins and gather the rest of the Ateez pride members into the conference room, I’d like to talk with them.” The guard nods, bowing curtly before leaving to the rest of the cells.

Seonghwa climbs up back to the main room of the HQ where all the other panthers are walking around and doing their daily chores. He could feel countless eyes staring curiously at the sleeping lynx, a particularly close one coming from one of the pride cubs. He stands still watching as the small boy approaches them with a fond smile before the small cub’s dam rushed in to carry him away. Seonghwa could hear the loud complain “But Dam, he pwetty” from the cub along with the adorable pout on his face. He chuckles, a small sense of pride and relief that his clan isn’t showing any negative reaction towards the guest (and hopefully his soon to be mate). 

He eventually escapes the prying eyes of his clan, entering the elevator nudging the button to his living quarters. Seonghwa hums to the gentle melody, taking the opportunity to admire the lynx’s sleeping face. Hongjoong’s eyes shut in slumber, long lashes albeit slightly wet from crying resting against his reddish, tear-stained cheeks. His pointed nose red and lips slightly swollen and red from being bitten, he looked ethereal.

The elevator doors slide open as they arrive at his penthouse estate, the lights flicking on as he steps into the luxurious expanse. Walls a pristine white with elaborate renaissance paintings hung about, giving the kingly elegance he and his brother enjoyed. He walks up the black marble staircase up to the second floor entering the large birch doors into his bedroom. The soft afternoon glow spills into the room from the glass surrounding the room. He pads over the large king-sized bed and gently lies Hongjoong down onto the soft velvet sheets, the orange glow of the sunset draping over his peaceful sleeping form. Seonghwa smiles softly, leaning over to press a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving the bedroom.  
\-----  
"Yeosangie!"

The leopard is startled awake from his rest and barely had time to react before the cheetah lands on him, making him yelp as his pridemate landed on a particularly large bruise. The latter doesn't seem to notice his pain, burying his head into the crook of Yeosang's neck, and purring loudly. Yeosang grins nonetheless, wrapping his arms around Wooyoung and squeezes him tightly, glad that he is okay.

The duo stays in each other’s embrace before another body lands on top of both of them, a long striped tail poking at Yeosang's face. The tiger happily fits himself into their little cuddle pile on the large leather couch, squeezing both of them tightly with a large grin on his lips despite the large bruise on the side of his face. Yeosang grin widens as he gladly puts his arms around San, squishing Wooyoung between them who just laughed along enjoying the embrace. 

Yeosang blinks up to a see an outstretched hand, turning his head he could see Jongho grinning at him. Yeosang gratefully accepts his hand as he sees Mingi and Yunho pushing off the rest of the cats off him with cheesy grins. They all cheer and pile in for a group hug, happy that everyone's okay. Except for one...

"Wooyoung, where's Hongjoong-Hyung?"

The cheetah opens his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by the sound of a door opening. The rest of the pride train their eyes upon the figure walking into the room, their ears pinned back in caution of the new cat entering.

"I see you all have said your hellos," the panther calmly says, expression unwavering despite the clear growls directed to him.

"Where's Hongjoong-Hyung?" Wooyoung growls, fiery orange eyes glaring into cold amber ones. 

“Please take a seat,” Seonghwa glowers, eyes piercing through Wooyoung’s. Icy glare forcing the cheetah to submit.

Wooyoung fights the urge, nearly lunging at the other if it weren’t for Yunho holding him back. He growls, “We will not fucking listen to you until you tell us where our Hyung is!”

“Sit down!” Seonghwa growls, staring down the Ateez members with his fangs bared, “We will discuss these matters after you all calm down.” The panther waits as the rest of the cats take a seat on the large leather couch, ears pinned back with some of them baring their fangs as a pitiful threat. Trying to threaten the leader in his territory is laughable. “I will let you go with resources from my territory, however, your leader is to stay with me.”

“And what’d make you think Hongjoong-Hyung would agree to this shitty deal? What makes you think we’d agree?” Mingi growls at the panther, fingers digging into the sleek armrest.

“Well Hongjoong thinks you all are dead,” Seonghwa states simply, letting out a chuckle at the collective gasps, “It’s incredible what people would do to escape torture for the sweet release of a quick death. And you all, don’t have a choice in this don’t you.” He smirks as seven other panthers march into the room and apprehend the Ateez members.

“Hey! Let us go!” The tiger struggles against the panther’s hold, his body too tired to break free just as the rest of his pridemates are. They thrash and scream helplessly as the guards drag them out of the conference room.

“Send them off which as many resources they can carry and make sure they don’t return to the Panther Territory, if they do, treat them like the rest of the trespassers,” Seonghwa orders as the cats disappear out of the room, away from him and his precious lynx.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOTCHA!  
> or not  
> yall probably too smart and saw thru my schemes ;-;  
> welp at least I tried :)  
> Leave a comment uwu!


	7. Chapter 6 : Different

Hongjoong blinks awake, his tired eyes greeted with familiar darkness that swallowed everything around him. He tries to pull his arm, feeling the rusty chain around his wrist tugging back. The same goes for his feet, he’s still chained up as he was before. Hongjoong squints into the abysmal darkness, is he still inside the cell? But something feels wrong… it’s too quiet, it’s too dead.

His ears perk at a distant sound. Wind? There can’t wind in an underground cell… A feeling of unease sets deep inside him as a chill runs up his spine. Something’s wrong. He flinches as a ghost touch glazes over his skin, goosebumps spreading across where the cold touched. No… This can’t be right…

The lynx shuffles backward, back against the wall, pulling his knees towards his chest. The wind… no, the whispers are getting louder and louder, incoherent mumblings getting clearer and clearer. Hongjoong could feel his body stiffen and blood freezes in his veins.

“Hyung?”

“Wooyoung? No… it can’t be. I’m hallucinating… I’m fucking hallucinating,” Hongjoong whimpers, eyes growing glassy, “This is all a fucking lie, this isn’t real, this isn’t real!” 

“Hyung? Hongjoong Hyung? Why did you leave?” The ghost of Yunho’s voice whispers in his ear, cold touch grazing over his ear. Hongjoong whimpers, raising his hands to block out the taunting whispers. 

"Hyung, I'm scared... Hyung, where are you... Hyung, did you leave us?" the murmurs of Jongho and San clashed together in dissonant harmony. Hongjoong shuts his eyes as he sobs, burying his head in his hands. 

“Hyung, open your eyes…” Mingi’s deep distorted voice calls out for him. Hongjoong lets out a scream as a pair of bony hands grip the sides of his face, forcing him to look ahead. His eyes land on a motionless body sprawled out in front of him, soulless blue eyes staring straight into his. The lynx screeches and thrashes against the grip, body wracking with sobs as he stares at Yeosang’s lifeless bloody corpse. 

Hongjoong sobs as the ghostly murmurs grow louder and louder, ghastly hands clawing their way from the darkness. The lynx thrashes harder against the chains as the pale fingers reach for him. Hongjoong shuts his eyes as they get closer and closer.

\------  
Hongjoong wakes up with a scream, tears dripping down his chin onto the soft sheets. Sheets? A bed? Where the fuck is he? He's no longer in that treacherous cell rather on a large impossibly soft bed in a room he could only dream of staying in. He stares at his hands, the rusted metal clinging onto them no longer there. Where is he?

Hongjoong jumps as the door by the bed slams open, Park Seonghwa stepping into the large bedroom with all too realistic concern etched in his features. Hongjoong could feel the bile rise in his throat, the fucking bastard who murdered his fucking family still had the nerve to feign care? What is he looking for? Forgiveness? Hongjoong growls at the panther, furious tears flowing from his eyes. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Hongjoong snaps at the latter, hands clenching onto the soft, silky sheets.

“I-I heard you scream… I just wanted to check,” The other mutters, hurt engraved into his voice and shining in his amber eyes. 

Hongjoong roars, “Get the fuck out! I don’t want to see your fucking face!” He watches as the beginnings of tears form in the panther’s eyes, bowing his head and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him. The lynx huffs as he stares at his hands, tears slowly dripping onto his skin. Why the fuck would he be fucking nice to a person that murdered his family? 

Somehow he can’t help but look back to the hurt in Seonghwa’s eyes. It all seemed too real, too fucking genuine. It’s as if he was accused of doing something he didn’t do. That’s a load of fucking bullshit. He murdered his entire pride in front of him, not even giving a second glance to his begging. Why would he feel anything, but remorse to the bastard. He ignores the small voice of reason in his head, after all, it hurts less with someone to blame. 

\-----

Seonghwa can’t help the tears that spill out of his eyes as he closes the door behind him. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, he was supposed to fall for him, trust him. He’d done and acted just as he did. Just as he did all those years ago. His father said it worked on mother, why didn’t it work on Hongjoong? Father said his mother fell in love with him after he killed the 2NE1 pride. He said she fell for him afterward, she loved him afterward. It’s supposed to work, so why didn’t it? He even spared them, so why? Why?! In a fit of rage, Seonghwa rips one of the portraits of the wall and slams it onto the hard marble stairs, watching as the portrait of his smiling mother rips, and the fragile wood snaps into two. 

She loved them. She loved him and Junghwa. She kissed them goodnight, read them bedtime stories, loved them as all other mothers would. She loved them, she did before they killed her. So why can’t he? Why can’t Hongjoong just love him? Seonghwa growls as he runs into the music room, closing the door behind him as he stares at the large instrument ahead. 

A large shiny black grand piano sits in the center of the room, a violin sitting not too far away in its carbon case untouched ever since its owner left. Seonghwa sits on the sleek chair, placing his fingers on the key. Junghwa and he always played for their mother when they were cubs, albeit a bit clumsy, but never failed to bring a smile to her face. Now it’s just him, would some melodies bring a smile to his face?

Seonghwa closes his eyes, fingers starting to move across the keys. A sorrowful melody filling the large music room as he pours his heart out. Junghwa always liked to play melancholic pieces when he was upset, allowing his emotions to channel into the strings as he played and played. Maybe Seonghwa could understand now as he plays with his heart bleeding into the keys with every note he presses. 

\------  
Hongjoong lets out an annoyed grunt as he tries to stop overthinking the stupid bastard’s overly sorrowful expression. Kicking the sheets off himself, he swings his legs and steps of the bed. Hongjoong stumbles a bit as he walks over towards the large glass, staring out into the silence of the night. The moon glowed brightly in the midst of the glimmering stars, the town beneath is brimming in its nightlife. Lights spread across the ground, reminiscent of the fireflies that’d gather in the flower patch behind the brothel. The many cars that moved along the streets, the colorful glow that lit up some of the streets, it was something he never knew could exist while growing up.

The lynx steps away from the window, opting to explore the place if he is going to be stuck here for a while. He is greeted with the black marble staircase, flinching as the cold of the marble touches his skin. Walking down, he nearly trips over what seems to be a broken canvas. Hongjoong falls to a crouch, careful of the splinters as he picks up the broken pieces. Placing together the two parts, the canvas forms the elegant portrait of a beautiful jaguar. Her features were painted with rich oil paint, eyes painted as if the stars shone deep within them and her luscious brown hair adorned with much expensive jewelry. However, Hongjoong can’t help but notice the sad smile painted onto her features. He looks at the golden plate screwed onto the bottom of the frame ‘Park Bom’.

Hongjoong carefully sets the torn painting aside and carefully walks down the stairs, careful of the splinters. Arriving at the bottom, he gawks slightly at the highly lavish interior. Many other paintings of sceneries and portraits hand about the large room, a small fireplace surrounded by large leather couches by one wall. In the distance, he could see an elevator which seems to be the exit. How fucking rich is the panther clan exactly? 

He walks over to the fireplace, spotting a fur rug in front of it. Hongjoong plops onto the soft material, basking in the soft warmth of the embers. He closes his eyes, reveling in the warmth when a distant sound causes his ears to perk in curiosity. The soft music drifted in the air, sorrowful melodies dancing gracefully. Hongjoong can’t help, but to be drawn to the melancholic tune. He slowly stands up from his seat, walking towards the source as if in a trance. Like a moth drawn to the flame or perhaps a butterfly to the prettiest flower in the meadow, he follows the music. 

The elegant tunes bring him to a room, he could hear the melodies and the emotions poured into the piece. He didn’t even feel the coldness of the golden handle as he pushes id down and the door pushes open. Hongjoong freezes as the panther looks up from his playing and stares at him with tears streaming down his face. The lynx can’t help but break at the sight of the panther’s tear-stained cheeks and teary red eyes and he can’t help, but wonder, is this really the same cat that murdered his pride?

Both cats stared at each other in the silence, the tension thick as none of them made a move. Hongjoong watches as the other cat turns away, staring at his hands. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to see me right now. I’ll leave you alone,” he mutters, head still turned facing down as he stands up from the chair. 

But just as the other cat is about to leave the room, Hongjoong reaches out and grabs his arm. The other could only turn to stare at him in confusion in his amber eyes, slight fear dancing within his eyes as of what he’d say next. Hongjoong wants to punch himself. What the hell was he thinking? What the fuck is going to do now? He could see the other’s ears droop as he feels Seonghwa trying to tug his arm free. Shit-

“U-Um wait! I-I liked your playing,” Hongjoong stutters, cursing himself silently. He watches as the panther slowly registers what he had said, amber eyes beginning to glimmer with hope, and as much as Hongjoong didn’t want to admit it, Seonghwa looked cute. 

“R-Really, thank you. I used to play with my brother a lot before,” He replies, stumbling over his words. The panther averts his gaze as the awkwardness returns to the atmosphere making Hongjoong groan internally. 

“Can you play me a song? I would like to listen,” the lynx starts slowly, letting out a subtle breath as the panther eagerly nods, walking over to the large instrument. 

“Would you like me to play something specific?” He asks, voice timid as if Hongjoong would run off at any second. Which admittedly he would have a few minutes ago, however, something begs him to stay, to listen to him. Trusting his instincts, he denies his logical thought of fleeing at his enemy’s moment of weakness and stay. Something he’d never thought he’d actually do, especially given living past that practically drilled distrust into his brain ever since he was a young cub.

“Anything would do,” Hongjoong gently says, taking a seat on one of the elegant white chairs in the room. 

He watches as Seonghwa takes a deep breath, placing his hands on the black and white keys, and starts to play. His fingers dance across the keys, beautiful melodies filling the air. The tune… It made Hongjoong feel Seonghwa’s emotions. Fear, sadness, yet behind them all, a glimmer of hope. The hope of forgiveness? The hope of the lynx agreeing to be his mate? The hope of love? He watches as the panther hunches over as the music reaches a piano before a crescendo to a grander, much more bright tune as the hope outshines, mixing with something of joy. A hope that everything will get better and it’ll be better. 

As he watches the panther play his heart out on the instrument, he can’t help but tear up. Something inside tells him that this isn’t the same panther that killed his family. That this isn’t the panther that deserved all the hatred and remorse. This is not the Seonghwa that hurt him, rather a broken one that only wanted to be fixed and loved. Apart of him wanted to believe, wanted to trust, wanted to believe everything that happened was all a nightmare.

But can he really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been spending too much time in seonghwa first life ;w;
> 
> anyway, how's everyone~ sorry for the long wait!


	8. Chapter 7 : Oh?

Seonghwa finished his piece with a flourish as he pants slightly, he could feel the slight wetness of tears sliding down his cheeks. He hastily lifts a hand to rub his eyes, stiffening at the silence after his performance. All of a sudden he hears a slow clapping, hesitantly he turns back to see Hongjoong clapping. A wave of relief crashes against him as the tears start to fall faster and not long after a sob rips involuntarily from his lips. He hears a gasp and suddenly a warm hand begins to wipe away his tears. 

Amber eyes meet chocolaty brown as both of them once again freeze at their actions. The lynx brings down his hands as if realizing what he has done, an air of hesitance and confusion slowly reappearing back between them and all of a sudden, he is untouchable once again. How much he wanted to tell him that it was all a lie, that he didn’t kill them yet every time he opened his mouth, no words would go out. 

“That was a beautiful performance, Seonghwa,” he hears the other mumble. “It’s getting late, you should go to bed.” The lynx turns away about to leave the room and Seonghwa launches himself at the other cat.

“P-Please don’t leave me,” he says with desperation lacing his voice, as he holds the other’s wrist tightly scared for him to run away. 

He could see the surprise in Hongjoong’s eyes which slowly melt to something warmer yet something he doesn’t dare to name. “I won’t,” the lynx gently says, “How about you teach me how to play tomorrow as a promise I won’t leave?”

“O-Okay,” he hurriedly replies making the lynx smile gently back at him. “Y-You can take my room. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

“Okay, goodnight, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong smiles at him before leaving the music room. 

After the lynx leaves the room, Seonghwa lets out a shaky breath as he leans against the wall. Is this a sign of hope? He really wants to believe in it. He stumbles towards the room on the first floor, pushing the birch door open. He flicks on the light switch, LED lights illuminating the large well-furnished room. In all honesty, he didn’t think he’d ever step back into Junghwa’s old room after his death. 

Seonghwa walks over to the large bed, lifting up the small framed photo on the nightstand. Two boys smile at the camera, one seated by the large grand piano and the other holding the violin by a music stand. He sighs as he places the photo back down and unbuttons his dress shirt, leaving his slacks on.   
Seonghwa trudges to the private bathroom, using a new toothbrush and brushing his teeth. He looks at his reflection, his hair a tousled mess, cheeks red and tear stained, and his eyes bloodshot from all the crying. He turns on the tap and splashes water onto his face, cold water dripping onto his bare chest yet he doesn’t flinch from the coldness.

After drying his face, he walks to the bed and slips beneath the velvet covers. He absentmindedly runs his hand over the empty side, reminiscing the times they’d spend sleepless nights in each other’s company after their mother’s death. Seonghwa leans into the plush pillows as he stares at the ceiling, “Junghwa… Is this hope? Can I trust in it?”  
\-----

Hongjoong lets out a groan as the bright light hits his face, ready to punch whoever’s shining that flashlight into his eyes- oh right. He sits up with a sigh, slightly cursing at the softness of the bed that serves as an reminder that he’s no longer with his pride. He falls back into the pillow taking the other fluffy pillow into his arms as he squeezes the soft material tightly, eyes tearing up at the memory of the events. But that something keeps on fucking nagging him that there is something more to their death. 

“Oh fuck it,” Hongjoong proclaims kicking off the pillow to the other end of the room, he furiously wipes his tears. His not going to live in self-loathing, he is going to get to the bottom of this. He swings his legs off the bed and takes his discarded khaki pants off the ground. 

Hongjoong exits the room fully dressed to see the panther already in the living room seemingly arguing with someone. “What do you mean Kim Jongin is here?” he hears Seonghwa ask, slight anger in his tone.

“Sir, he appeared on the premises and demanded for your presence,” the other panther says, voice steely.

He sees Seonghwa frustratedly run a hand through his well-groomed hair, and damn he had to admit it was hot. The panther turns his gaze up towards him as he descends down the staircase, Seonghwa meets him halfway with an apologetic stare. “Shit, I’m sorry Hongjoong I don’t think I can teach you today.”

Hongjoong could feel his heart involuntarily melt at the panther’s expression and lets out a (slightly annoyed) sigh, hating the fact that a smile is forcing itself onto his face. “It’s alright we can try later tonight. I don’t mind,” he says gently, smiling as the panther gives him a boxy grin before bidding him goodbye and walking into the elevator to follow the other cat waiting for him.

Once he hears the elevator close and is sure that it’s gone, he decides it might be the perfect time to snoop around a bit. He hops over the last few steps, walking across the living room to the music room. Pushing the door open, he peeks his head inside and just as expected no one is there. Hongjoong steos inside and closes the door behind him. He walks towards the elegant violin sitting inside a sleek black carbon, the wooden instrument left to collect dust. He frowns at the neglect and gently lifts the instrument, admiring the elegant carvings carefully etched in the wood especially one of a small star carved by the chinrest. 

“You know as much as that idiot loves you, I’m sure he ain’t gonna be happy with you touching his dead brother’s stuff,” a snarky feminine voice coughs behind him making him jump, nearly dropping the fragile instrument. 

Hongjoong whips his head around to see a woman leaning against the wall with an amused smile on her face, her rounded black ears twitching with interest and long tail lazily swinging behind her. She is dressed in a black tube top and black leather tights with her hair tied in space buns. The woman coos at him, “Well damn, that boy’s sure gotten himself a real cutie and don’t worry, Hon, I won’t tell Mars a single thing.”

“Um thank you? I guess? Miss..”

“Oh just call me Jessie or noona, I’m not that old, Hon. It’s Hongjoong right? Your breakfast’s on the coffee table. Make sure you finish all of it before you continue snooping around,” She finishes walking out of the room.

“Wait, you’re seriously not gonna tattle on me?” Hongjoong pipes up, confused at how laid the panther is.

“Nah, not my business anyways. Just be careful of the guards if your sneaking around, see ya Hon,” With that the elder leaves him alone. 

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow at the weird interaction, shouldn’t the panthers be more strict and cold? Especially someone close to Seonghwa himself it seems. Shrugging off the weird feeling, he places the violin back in its case. His mind wanders back to her words, Seonghwa had a brother? To be fair, Hongjoong was always living under a rock his entire life, just knowing the leader of each clan and bypassing every knowledge regarding their actual family line cause who cares about them when the threat is only of the head cat. He needs to investigate a bit more.

Walking back into the living room, he spots a small bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice by it on the coffee table just as Jessie said. He picks up the spoon and pokes at the bits of what he assumes is cornflakes floating in the white liquid before taking a spoonful and shoving it in his mouth. The lynx lets out a satisfied hum at the soft, soggy texture, it’s just as he liked them. He finished the cereal quickly, gulping down the slightly sour juice and places the empty bowl and glass back onto the table eager to explore more. 

Hongjoong walks off to the door by the fireplace and pushes the door open. It’s a bedroom, fully furnished and the bed a bit messed although there was an attempt to make it. “This must be where Seonghwa slept in.” Hongjoong notices a framed picture by the bed and picks it up. Two young boys smiled at the camera, one of them with black rounded ears and the other with spotted ears like Yeosang’s. The panther sat at the piano with a bright boxy grin and the leopard holding the violin he saw earlier with an equally bright smile. ‘That must be Seonghwa and his brother. What happened to them?’ He flips the picture over, ‘Seonghwa and Junghwa’ is written messily in marker behind it most likely by a child.

“Park Junghwa?” Hongjoong whispers to himself. He’s heard the name before, an unfortunate victim of the Tiger Clan over 8 years ago. He’s heard of the outraged it caused amongst the Panther Clan and Tiger Clan. A war broke loose and lasted for 2 years as the old grief stricken Panther Clan Head assassinated the Tiger Clan’s Dam, it was a vicious one that in the end took the lives of both of the Clan heads leading to the unexpected rise of the heirs to the throne and Seonghwa rose to the position of clan leader at the age of 19. 

He never knew it was Seonghwa’s brother, however. The cat was a leopard and he passed it as a secret prostitute the clan leader kept or something (realizing just now how stupid of a reason it’s to cause a war to break). Seonghwa was left all alone to be the leader of an entire clan at such a young age with no one to stand by his side. A part of Hongjoong’s heart cracked at the thought of the panther having to bare all the burden of an entire clan on his shoulders with all the politics and knick knacks that came with the power. He takes a deep breath and steels his heart not to succumb to the tragic backstory, as much as he wants to fucking forgive and hold the panther close (for some odd fucking reason) he can’t cause he murdered-.

“Or did he?” Hongjoong cuts his own train of thought. It seems so unlikely, so out of place that he’d do that. Sure the façade he put on whilst threatening Hongjoong to tears was phenomenal, but after seeing the array of genuine emotions that Seonghwa spilled to him. His vulnerability makes it so fucking unbelievable. He simply can’t believe that man is capable of doing such a thing for something so petty as an insult after all he has lost. Hongjoong has to dig deeper. 

Deciding to jump right into the lion’s den, Hongjoong walks out of the bedroom and steps into the elevator. Right. He doesn’t know where shit are. The lynx spends a good five minutes standing in front of the buttons, he decides for the lowest floor which had a C and L on the button. The elevator starts its descend and he watches in amazement as the once white walls behind the glass turn to a view of the Panther Clan Head Quarters. He could see many cats just walking around the many floors and even some adorable cubs playing by the railings. But soon enough the scenery disappears and the elevator sinks back into what he assumes is the underground and stops with a loud ‘ding’.

Hongjoong steps into the large room which was covered in monitors and tech that he’d seen in Yunho’s lab. Well this isn’t where he wanted to be, but it’s a start. He scans over the large room noticing a tiny bright red object. Carefully tiptoeing to the computer, he gets a closer look at the item and “Holy shit! That’s Wooyoung’s earing!”

Hongjoong is tempted to just fucking scream into the device when a static radio voice rings out from it. That’s weird, his piece is only supposed to be a microphone. He bends down, pressing his ear on the cylinder it’s contained in. Sure enough, the static is slightly clearer until.

“Ouch! Fuck! Why did you have to hit me that hard, Yeosang!” He hears the all too fucking familiar whining of San. What the fuck, what the fuck. Hongjoong could already feel his tears bursting out like a busted dam and sobs spill from his mouth. They’re alive. They’re fucking alive! Hongjoong falls onto his knees as he cries his heart out, all to relieved that his pridemates were alive (and that Seonghwa wasn’t a cold-hearted bastard), when a door opens making him freeze up.

“What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I didn't forget, I was just busy ;w;

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~~~  
> Also, feel free to check out my twitter account where I'll be posting updates!  
> @Crumblinnn  
> Thanks again! See you on the next update!


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